Constructed by: Patricia Moran
Edited by: Rich Norris
Quicklink to a complete list of today’s clues and answers
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Theme: House Styles
Today’s themed answers each begin with a style of house:
- 20A…Period preserved by a district in Williamsburg, Virginia..COLONIAL TIMES
- 29A…Title character in a Beatles “White Album” song..BUNGALOW BILL
- 46A…Snacks with a New England lighthouse on the package..CAPE COD CHIPS
- 56A…Dip for veggies..RANCH DRESSING
Bill’s time: 5m 19s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
6…”Never Wave at __”: Rosalind Russell film..A WAC
“Never Wave at a WAC” is a 1952 comedy starring Rosalind Russell. Russell plays a senator’s daughter who asks her father to get her a commission in the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) so that she can be close to her boyfriend. The senator thinks that it’s a better idea for her become an enlisted soldier, so Russell’s character ends up in basic training. Hilarity ensues …
The Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) was formed in 1942, and the unit was converted to full status the following year to become the Women’s Army Corps (WAC). Famously, General Douglas MacArthur referred to the WACs as his “best soldiers”, saying they worked harder, complained less and were better disciplined than men. The WACs were disbanded in 1978 and the serving members were integrated into the rest of the army.
10…Trash transport..SCOW
A scow is a flat-bottomed boat with squared-off ends that’s often used for transportation, usually pushed or pulled by a barge. Often a scow can be seen carrying junk or garbage.
15…Capitale in which “La Dolce Vita” was filmed..ROMA
In Italian, “Roma” (Rome) is the “capitale” (capital) of “Italia” (Italy).
The title of the celebrated 1960 Federico Fellini film “La Dolce Vita” translates from Italian as “The Good Life”. There is a character in the film called Paparazzo who is a news photographer. It is this character who gives us our word “Paparazzi”, a term used for photographers who make careers out of taking candid shots of celebrities.
17…Lanai hi..ALOHA
The Hawaiian word “Aloha” has many meanings in English: affection, love, peace, compassion and mercy. More recently “aloha” has come to mean “hello” and “goodbye”, but only since the mid-1800s.
Lanai is the sixth largest of the Hawaiian Islands. Lanai was first spotted by Europeans just a few days after Captain Cook was killed on the Big Island of Hawaii in 1779. In 1922, the Hawaiian Pineapple Company bought the whole island of Lanai and turned most of it into the world’s largest pineapple plantation. Since then, Lanai has been known as “The Pineapple Island”. Today, 98% of the island is owned by Larry Ellison, the CEO of Oracle, and 2% is owned by the State of Hawaii.
18…Soft-spoken painter Bob..ROSS
Bob Ross was an artist and art instructor. Ross created and appeared in the long-running PBS show “The Joy of Painting”, a show which provided instructions for budding artists.
19…Macramé feature..KNOT
Macramé is a way to make cloth that uses a knotting technique rather than weaving or knitting. Macramé was popularised at sea, where sailors would decorate the likes of knife handles, bottles and even parts of the ship.
20…Period preserved by a district in Williamsburg, Virginia..COLONIAL TIMES
Colonial Williamsburg is a 300-acre district in Williamsburg, Virginia that has been preserved as a living-history museum. The restoration and recreation of Williamsburg in colonial times started back in the 1920s. There are museum employees all over the area dressed and working as people did back then.
23…Subj. for many an au pair..ESL
English as a Second Language (ESL) is sometimes referred to as English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL).
An “au pair” is a domestic assistant from a foreign country working and living as part of a host family. The term “au pair” is French, and means “on a par”, indicating that an au pair is treated as an equal in the host family.
24…Ornamental pond fish..KOI
Koi are also called Japanese carp. Koi have been bred for decorative purposes and there are now some very brightly colored examples found in Japanese water gardens.
29…Title character in a Beatles “White Album” song..BUNGALOW BILL
“The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill” is a John Lennon song that was recorded by the Beatles. The title character was inspired by a young American who was visiting the same ashram the Beatles were staying at in India while studying with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. The American stayed in a bungalow next to the Maharishi, and was dubbed “Bungalow Bill” by Lennon and co.
36…Doone of fiction and cookies..LORNA
The novel “Lorna Doone: A Romance of Exmoor” was written by Richard Doddridge Blackmore. R. D. Blackmore was an English novelist, very celebrated and in demand in his day (the late 1800s). His romantic story “Lorna Doone” was by no means a personal favorite of his, and yet it is the only one of his works still in print.
Lorna Doone shortbread cookies were introduced by Nabisco in 1912. Presumably, they were named after the famous novel by R. D. Blackmore.
42…__ Peachik: flavored vodka..STOLI
Stolichnaya is a brand of Russian vodka made from wheat and rye grain. Well, “Stoli” originated in Russia but now it’s made in Latvia, which is of course a completely different country, so you won’t see the word “Russian” on the label.
44…Tic-tac-toe loser..O-X-O
When I was growing up in Ireland we played “noughts and crosses” … our name for the game tic-tac-toe.
46…Snacks with a New England lighthouse on the package..CAPE COD CHIPS
The logo on packets of Cape Cod Potato Chips is a woodcut of Nauset Light, a lighthouse in Eastham, Massachusetts on Cape Cod. The company producing the chips was started in 1980 in nearby Hyannis, Massachusetts.
51…Bump-log link..ON A
Someone who is idle, inactive might be said to be “like a bump on a log”.
53…Newscaster Lindström..PIA
Pia Lindström is a retired television journalist who was born in Sweden, but who lived most of her life in the US. Lindström is the oldest child of actress Ingrid Bergman.
56…Dip for veggies..RANCH DRESSING
Ranch dressing has been the best selling salad dressing in the country since 1992. The recipe was developed by Steve Henson who introduced it in the fifties to guests on his dude ranch, Hidden Valley Ranch in Northern California. His ranch dressing became so popular that he opened a factory to produce packets of ranch seasoning that could be mixed with mayonnaise and buttermilk. Henson sold the brand for $8 million in 1972.
65…Predecessors of euros..LIRE
The word “lira” is used in a number of countries for currency. “Lira” comes from the Latin for “pound” and is derived from a British pound sterling, the value of a Troy pound of silver. For example, the lira (plural “lire”) was the official currency of Italy before the country changed over to the euro in 2002.
69…Morning blend..LATTE
The term “latte” is an abbreviation of the Italian “caffelatte” meaning “coffee (and) milk”. Note that in the correct spelling of “latte”, the Italian word for milk, there is no accent over the “e”. An accent is often added by mistake when we use the word in English, perhaps meaning to suggest that the word is French.
Down
1…One usually follows a comma..SPACE
Our word “comma” comes into English via Latin from the Greek “komma” meaning “clause in a sentence”.
2…Los Angeles Angels, in sportscasts..HALOS
The Anaheim Angels are today more correctly called the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The “Angels” name dates back to 1961 when the team was founded in the “City of Angels”, Los Angeles. When the franchise moved to Anaheim in 1965 they were known as the California Angels, then the Anaheim Angels, and most recently the Los Angeles Angels at Anaheim. The Angels are also known as “the Halos”.
3…Traveling convenience..E-TOLL
E-ZPASS was a technology development driven (pun!) by the tolling agencies of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The first E-ZPASS toll booth was built on the New York Thruway, and opened at the Spring Valley toll plaza in 1993.
5…1998 Alanis Morissette hit..THANK U
Alanis Morissette is a Canadian singer-songwriter. After releasing two pop albums in Canada, in 1995 she recorded her first album to be distributed internationally. Called “Jagged Little Pill”, it is a collection of songs with more of a rock influence. The album was a huge success, the highest-selling album of the 1990s, and the highest-selling debut album by any artist at any time (selling over 30 million units).
6…Calls before a criminal court..ARRAIGNS
In the law, to arraign someone is to call a person before a court to answer charges that have been brought.
8…Dutch beer named for a river..AMSTEL
Amstel is a Dutch beer and brewery, founded in 1870 in Amsterdam. The brewery takes its name from the Amstel river which runs through the city.
9…Monaco attraction..CASINO
The Principality of Monaco is on the Mediterranean coast, and is otherwise surrounded by France, even though it is just under 10 miles from the Italian border. Monaco is the world’s most densely populated country, and the world’s second smallest country (the smallest being Vatican City). The principality has been very prosperous since the late 1800s, with the economy given a tremendous boost with the opening of several gambling casinos.
12…Lennon’s widow..ONO
Yoko Ono is an avant-garde artist. Ono actually met her future husband John Lennon for the first time while she was preparing her conceptual art exhibit called “Hammer a Nail”. Visitors were encouraged to hammer in a nail into a wooden board, creating the artwork. Lennon wanted to hammer in the first nail, but Ono stopped him as the exhibition had not yet opened. Apparently Ono relented when Lennon paid her an imaginary five shillings to hammer an imaginary nail into the wood.
21…Ancient Aegean region..IONIA
The geographic region called Ionia is located in present day Turkey. Ionia was prominent in the days of Ancient Greece although it wasn’t a unified state, but rather a collection of tribes. The tribal confederacy was more based on religious and cultural similarities than a political or military alliance. Nowadays we often refer to this arrangement as the Ionian League.
27…Arm bones..ULNAE
The humerus is the long bone in the upper arm. The bones in the forearm are the radius and ulna. “Ulna” is the Latin word for “elbow”, and “radius” is Latin for “ray”.
29…”Beauty and the Beast” beauty..BELLE
“Beauty and the Beast” is a fairy tale was that was written by novelist Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont. Titled “La belle et la bête” in French, the story was first published in 1756. The “beauty” in the tale is named “Belle”.
30…__ committee..AD HOC
The Latin phrase “ad hoc” means “for this purpose”.
31…Ties with clasps..BOLOS
I’ve never worn a bolo tie, and was surprised to discover that it is a relatively recent invention. The first bolo tie was apparently produced in Wickenburg, Arizona in the late 1940s by a silversmith. The bolo takes its name from the boleadora, an Argentine lariat.
32…”My Cousin Vinny” star..PESCI
“Jersey Boys” is a very entertaining musical that chronicles the life of the sixties group the Four Seasons. Joe Pesci is one of the characters in the story, which isn’t really surprising. Pesci is one of the show’s producers.
“My Cousin Vinny” is a really fun film from 1992 starring Joe Pesci and Marisa Tomei. In 2008, the American Bar Association rated “My Cousin Vinny” as the #3 Greatest Legal Movie of all time, after “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “12 Angry Men”!
48…Bright bloom..DAHLIA
The dahlia is a flowering plant native to Mexico and Central America. It was named the national flower of Mexico relatively recently, in 1963.
49…Bunch..PASSEL
A passel is a large group or quantity. “Passel” is a variant of the word “parcel”.
54…Klutzy..INEPT
A “klutz” is an awkward individual, and the term comes from Yiddish. The Yiddish word for a clumsy person is “klots”.
58…Michael who played Worf on “Star Trek: T.N.G.”..DORN
In the television series “Star Trek: The Next Generation”, Mr. Worf is one of the main characters. He is a Klingon officer on the Enterprise, and is played by Michael Dorn. Worf is a unique character in the “Star Trek” franchise in that he also appeared regularly in another “Star Trek” show: “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine”.
61…Shutterfly order: Abbr…ENL
Enlargement (enl.)
Shutterfly is a company best known for publishing photo books using images uploaded over the Internet. I assume that the company’s name is a play on “shutterbug”, a term used for someone who likes taking photographs.
Complete List of Clues and Answers
Across
1…Paper unit..SHEET
6…”Never Wave at __”: Rosalind Russell film..A WAC
10…Trash transport..SCOW
14…Software security update..PATCH
15…Capitale in which “La Dolce Vita” was filmed..ROMA
16…Top-rated..A-ONE
17…Lanai hi..ALOHA
18…Soft-spoken painter Bob..ROSS
19…Macramé feature..KNOT
20…Period preserved by a district in Williamsburg, Virginia..COLONIAL TIMES
23…Subj. for many an au pair..ESL
24…Ornamental pond fish..KOI
25…Denver-to-Chicago dir…ENE
26…Buf-__: facial sponge brand..PUF
29…Title character in a Beatles “White Album” song..BUNGALOW BILL
32…Treadmill setting..PACE
35…Ill. neighbor..IND
36…Doone of fiction and cookies..LORNA
37…Green subj…ECOL
38…Drained of color..ASHEN
41…Spring..LEAP
42…__ Peachik: flavored vodka..STOLI
44…Tic-tac-toe loser..O-X-O
45…Glorifying works..ODES
46…Snacks with a New England lighthouse on the package..CAPE COD CHIPS
50…Colour ending..-ISE
51…Bump-log link..ON A
52…Mama bear, in Mexico..OSA
53…Newscaster Lindström..PIA
56…Dip for veggies..RANCH DRESSING
60…Fervor..ZEAL
62…Oodles..A LOT
63…Frugal sort..SAVER
64…”What’s gotten __ you?”..INTO
65…Predecessors of euros..LIRE
66…Get together in secret?..ELOPE
67…Delight..GLEE
68…Finish a flight..LAND
69…Morning blend..LATTE
Down
1…One usually follows a comma..SPACE
2…Los Angeles Angels, in sportscasts..HALOS
3…Traveling convenience..E-TOLL
4…Reverberate..ECHO
5…1998 Alanis Morissette hit..THANK U
6…Calls before a criminal court..ARRAIGNS
7…Knitting supply..WOOL
8…Dutch beer named for a river..AMSTEL
9…Monaco attraction..CASINO
10…Benefit..SAKE
11…Partnered in crime..CONSPIRED
12…Lennon’s widow..ONO
13…Just painted..WET
21…Ancient Aegean region..IONIA
22…Cry softly..MEWL
27…Arm bones..ULNAE
28…Book jacket parts..FLAPS
29…”Beauty and the Beast” beauty..BELLE
30…__ committee..AD HOC
31…Ties with clasps..BOLOS
32…”My Cousin Vinny” star..PESCI
33…Fill in for..ACT AS
34…Play well with others..COOPERATE
39…Advised urgently..EXHORTED
40…__ pollution..NOISE
43…Desktop image..ICON
47…Readily available, as a doctor..ON CALL
48…Bright bloom..DAHLIA
49…Bunch..PASSEL
53…Basketball move..PIVOT
54…Klutzy..INEPT
55…Say yes..AGREE
57…Salve additive..ALOE
58…Michael who played Worf on “Star Trek: T.N.G.”..DORN
59…Spanish parlor..SALA
60…Sharp turn..ZIG
61…Shutterfly order: Abbr…ENL
18:10, no errors, iPad. An easy puzzle, except … I initially wrote in ENG instead of ESL and had a hard time fixing it because 1) I was still half-asleep; 2) I’d never heard of the HALOS; and 3) I’d heard of E-TOLLs, but I’ve never made use of them, so the word doesn’t leap easily to mind. Maybe I’ll wake up after breakfast … or lunch … 🙂
I really stumbled to the end of this one. Ultimately I missed the “W” in AWAC/WOOL because I forgot to go back an guess the letter. “W” seems obvious now, but there’s no guarantee I would have gotten it. I was absolutely clueless as to the theme even after I finished the puzzle. Overall a disappointing effort as nothing seemed to come easily to me.
Don’t the French call it Cafe au lait? Seems to me I”ve seen that at times. Au lait, latte…to me it’s all coffee flavored warm milk (yuck). I’ll stick with black coffee.
Those Bob Ross shows on PBS were amazing. I’m no artist – a stick figure is pushing my limits – but watching him create those paintings in 30 minutes time is fun to see I hate to admit. He’s on Netflix now as well.
Carrie – what Jerry had in that Seinfeld episode was not the bends. He had something called mask squeeze. It’s when you fail to equalize the pressure in your mask as you descend in the water. The mask is pushed in against the face and eyes as the water pressure outside the mask increases. You either need to descend more slowly and/or exhale into the mask as you descend to avoid that happening. Generally the bends are caused by ascending too quickly and mask squeeze is something caused by descending too quickly.
Best –
32 down blurb: 12 Angry *Men
Thanks, Andrew S, for catching that typo for me. I’ve fixed it.
Managed to complete this, regardless of not knowing Morissette, DORN and PIA.
I too was clueless as to the theme until I stared at it for awhile.
Pookie: Me too on finishing, and me neither on Pia (but now we know Zadora’s not the only one).
“My Cousin Vinnie” is one of my all-time favorite films. No matter how often I watch it, I always laugh; knowing what’s coming just seems to make it funnier! But I always wondered why Marissa Tomei only got a Best Supporting Actress Oscar. With exception of some minor parts, she was the only female in the film, and had at least as much screen time as Pesci did! It should have been Best Actress.
Happy Hump Day all!
Finished without trouble, but I stalled a bit with the U in THANKU. This song is not on “Jagged Little Pill(1995)”, rather the followup album “Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie(1998).”
Hey folks!
Jeff! Thanks for the info and correction on that Seinfeld episode. Interesting! I wonder if I’d remember everything if I ever went scuba diving. I should probably stick to the shallows…
Hey Joel — re. Tomei as best supporting actress: probably the studio promoted her for the supporting award, during the run-up to the awards. There may have been some lead actress heavyweights in films that year, and the producers promoted Ms. Tomei for something they felt she’d win. Interesting, the politics of movie promotion.
I liked this puzzle! Didn’t see the theme at all. Sometimes Wednesdays are my faves: challenging but won’t break your heart.
However, I DID have to go thru, mentally, every song on The White Album to get BUNGALOW BILL…I know the track listing backwards and forwards (I really do) but that song took me a minute, not being a favorite of mine. So, had I noticed a theme it woulda got me there faster.
I’m SUCH a Beatles fan, and I’m proud that I can name every song on every album, but you know what? That and a dollar won’t get me a LATTE. I’d include my Beatles knowledge on my resume, but no one would care.
Looking forward to our late week challenges!
Be well~~™???